A Letter
by Ray by Another Name
Summary: Jasper's father receives a letter from his absent wife which is, of course, intercepted by his son. The resulting fall out requires Jasper to lean on his arch nemesis, Professor Darkness himself, for support.


Jasper's father receives a letter from his absent wife which is, of course, intercepted by his son. The resulting fall out requires Jasper to lean on his arch nemesis, Professor Darkness himself, for support.

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**A Letter  
**

Julian Morneau had known the Bartlett family since college.

Bryan and Zafer were two of his father's research assistants when they were in grad school and he an undergrad. Bryan had struck him as a bit of a stick in the mud and Zafer was the adventurous one. While Zafer barely knew he existed Bryan had become a friend.

The third, Bethany Jameson, had always struck him as interesting. A beautiful woman, smart - she spoke four languages - but she was incredibly flighty. He never knew if he liked her or not. Bryan was certain. Bryan was in love with her.

Even though she walked out on Bryan and their son with nothing more than a note on the counter Bryan would probably still take her back.

Julian had no idea how Bryan could do that when she'd reduced the once perpetually cheerful child he had babysit into the sobbing seventeen year next to him. Jasper tried to shield his father, sure, he wanted Bryan to be proud of him, to love him. Julian knew that feeling, but even his father had seen how upset he was after his mother's death. And Bryan was a much more present parent than Dante Morneau. Usually.

-.-

He was crying on Professor Darkness' s shoulder. He - at seventeen! - was crying! On Julian Morneau's shoulder! Why, oh why did the universe hate him? It was bad enough he'd had to revert to his old hiding spot in the library to avoid Henry but running into Julian, that was just horrible luck.

"Jamie?"

The old nickname sent a tingle down his spine and he cried harder, fingers clinching the suit jacket underneath him. No one had called him that since his mother left - went back to France. Never left. That always implied she'd left something, that she left him. No, she went back to France.

She'd come back. He'd always known she'd come back. She loves them, loves him. She just wasn't ready to be a mom yet.

Except she was. Just not to him.

She'd sent dad divorce papers, with a letter. She was pregnant, they were getting married. She wanted to settle down. With other people. With a new family. Not with them. She didn't want them. She didn't want him.

"It's her loss." Julian's whisper made him realize he'd been talking, whispering to himself. Jasper buried his face in the shoulder of the man he often joked was his arch nemesis. He felt like he was five again and Julian was babysitting him at the park when he hurt himself on the playground.

-.-

Henry had searched every place he knew of for his cousin and come up empty, he'd even asked Maggie for help. Nothing.

"He knows the school better than just about anyone Henry," Maggie reminded him as she followed him through the halls of Smithson High, "If he doesn't want to be found, we're certainly not the ones who are going to find him."

Henry tried not to grumble under his breathe, "He's been acting weird all day. I'm worried."

"Are you sure? He seemed fine in class."

"I'm positive, something is definitely wrong," Henry said.

Maggie rolled her eyes, Henry had his mystery solving face on and that usually meant long hours of research or something else equally distracting from her homework.

"He got some letter this morning for his dad and he stuck it in his back pocket when Uncle Bryan came downstairs. Then he made me leave thirty minutes early for school so he could spend most of it staring at the front of the envelope."

"Henry -"

"He wouldn't even open it. It was weird. And he wouldn't tell me who it was from either. He barely acknowledged it was real, while it was in his hands!"

"Henry!"

"What?"

"I get it. If you're this worried, I'll help."

"Thanks," Henry took a breath as he opened the library door, he'd searched the place already, but he'd run out of ideas.

-.-

Julian took the letter out of Jasper's hands, his grip was vice like, but after an hour he finally got the stubborn boy to let him take a look.

It was Bethany's handwriting alright. And even more so it was her voice. She switched back and forth between English and French mid-sentence, had more compound sentences and complex verbs than was necessary, and referred to Bryan as Bry. In the ten years he'd known Bethany he'd never heard her call Bryan by his full name. Or Jasper for that matter, he was always Jamie. For all her formal education she was the most informal person he'd ever met.

And his own mother would be utterly dismayed by Julian's thoughts at the woman.

"You have to let your dad read this," Julian said softly and Jasper's already pale face whitened like a sheet as he shook his head, "Do you really want him to be side-swiped when the divorce papers are delivered?"

Jasper pushed his palms into his eyes, "No."

Julian stood up and offered Jasper a hand, "Come on."

-.-

Bryan sighed as Henry explained, with wild hand gestures, that something was wrong with Jasper. That he was missing. That someone had to have taken him because Henry had looked everywhere.

Even Maggie looked skeptical. She was side-eyeing Henry with an indulgent smile on her face. Bryan leaned back in his chair as Henry ran out of words. Finally.

"Henry-" Bryan started with yet another sigh. A knock sounded on his door. Interrupting him. "Come in," he called, ignoring Henry's frown.

Julian Morneau appeared in his doorway, back straight and shoulders tense. Not a good sign. Bryan could just make out the shape of another person. Probably a student.

"Mr. Griffin, Miss Whitmore," Julian acknowledged them with a nod, "If you could excuse us for a moment." Julian turned slightly to allow passage.

The person behind him shifted with him, remaining obscured by Julian's torso. Henry's frown deepened and his eyebrows bushed low. Maggie shoved him through the door.

Julian turned around to close the door and Jasper shifted into Bryan's view. Bryan sat up at the sight. Jasper's eyes were ringed in red and his skin was blotchy. Plus he was staring resolutely at his shoes.

"What's -"

Jasper thrust his hand out, a folded envelope grasped tightly in his palm. Bryan took it, tugging slightly to retrieve it. Julian pressed a hand into Jasper's upper back.  
Bryan blinked. Jasper barely took comfort from him, or Henry. Julian? Professor Darkness? He flattened out the envelope on his desk.

Bethany's handwriting. It was startling to see those curvy curled letters.

When he looked back up at Jasper he was wiping at his eyes and focusing on his shoe laces. Julian's hand had moved to clasp a shoulder. Jasper was shaking.

"Do I want to read this?" Bryan looked at Julian. The man raised a brow and his eyes darted to Jasper. Bryan rolled his shoulders back and opened the letter. He didn't even finish the first sentence. No. He did not want to read this.

Jasper sniffed, "She wants to get married to a professor in Lille. She's pregnant."

"Ah," Bryan set the letter on his desk, face down. He stood with a sigh. A rock was forming in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it down. He wrapped an arm around his son. Julian's hand dropped away as Jasper curled into the embrace, fingers digging into Bryan's other arm.

"I'm sorry," Jasper's whisper was stuttered. Bryan's shirt was damp now. He shushed and comforted, but Jasper kept apologizing. Bryan looked over at Julian, who was standing off to the side with a truly murderous expression.

When Julian's eyes met his, Bryan squeezed his son closer, "We're better off without her anyway." Jasper started crying harder, his whole body shaking again. Julian slipped out, the letter safely in his pocket. Someone had to deal with Henry after all and the Bartlett's were busy.

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Thanks for reading! Reviews Appreciated!


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